Saturday, January 24, 2015

Katie and Hayden's new bed solves some problems but creates others

Hayden is pleased, but a bit gobsmacked, to finally have a sturdy bed with storage underneath.

I think I may need a step stool to get in bed, Fitzroy!
The bed is based on plans for an actual real-life bed, found at This Old House. Mine is a bit simplified, and the measurements are based on laying the dolls on the foam core and seeing what fit for length and width, then using the wire baskets I found at Tuesday Morning as the starter for determining height. The black foam core is covered with black leather-pattern contact paper and trimmed out with random wood strips. Unlike the original, which has baskets on both sides and one at the end, I went with long baskets that are accessible only from the "public" side of the room.



Hayden demonstrates the working of the bins.
Of course, I had the entire bed frame together and was very proud of myself for getting it essentially straight and orthogonal (I can measure six times and still cut crooked), when I realized I'd assembled it so that the "public" side was public only if the headboard backed the bathroom divider rather than the solid side wall.

So Katie and Hayden will be getting a real bathroom wall, which was already sort of scheduled to happen because Home Depot put its sheets of quasi-miniature faux subway tile on sale at a price where I can finally afford to do the gals' bathroom the way I'd originally wanted to.

The wall that the bed now faces will get fake sliding closet doors... which means I need more foam core and more trim. If Amazon had a subscription plan that just delivered foam core, trim, tacky glue, foam paint brushes, and a surprise pack of fat quarters every month, I'd be signing up for Prime as we speak.

Oops. This is not a comfortable position for reading.
The matchbox nightstands are now too low! I took one apart to rework it as three drawers atop a stand shaped like a sideways U, then realized that, while I have enough foam core scraps to do that, I don't have enough trim.

The bed also needs a new mattress, more streamlined linens, and a matching panel on the headboard to hide infelicities related to bumpiness from deciding the headboard was too short and extending it... but after obsessing over fabric in a futile way, I decided it was time to declare victory, clean off the kitchen counter, and let the problem simmer.

Fitzroy, it seems like every project leads to another project!
Also on hold for future work is Kaylee and Mila's bedroom, which got papered back on Monday.

Mila warms her toes by the bedroom fire.
This condo has the problem that the bed is obviously smaller than Pilar and Adele's bed. Their latter is sized so the gals can fit in it. This bed is part of a small collection of vintage Jaydon that the condo exists to display, so it's not going anywhere. But putting a sitting area in the bedroom makes it possible to blame perspective for why the bed looks so small -- look how far away it is! -- while also enjoying the Strombecker sofa and chair that I'm particularly fond of.

Although the next two weeks are going to be devoted to sewing for the multitudes, starting with finishing Cloe's new outfit, when I was in bed-linen-avoidance-dithering mode, I got the itch to do something about Katie and Hayden's dishes.

It looks like somebody stacked their Pyrex. Oops.
The dishes are vintage. I think they were vintage back when I was fond of them -- or of others much like them -- as a mid-sized urchin. As far as I know, they aren't rare, and even if they were, damage to the pattern has made that point moot.

So I decided to see if pure acetone would take the rest of the paint off.

Behold! Restaurant china.
That would be a yes.

14 comments:

  1. Hi Smaller Places, what a wonderful bed! it's perfect!
    I love how the condo is coming up, and I like a lot how you arranged Mila's bedroom so far.
    kisse Billa

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    1. Thanks! The bed was actually scarier to do than the kitchen last summer because this time I knew what could go wrong.

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  2. The bed looks great and comfortable! The sitting area is a nice touch too :-). The dishes look much better all white.

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    1. Thank you! Now I have lots and lots of linens to sew!

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  3. I had a matchbox stack dresser like that for my Sunshine Family dolls when I was a girl. I think it drove my mom crazy when I was always at her for supplies to make more dolly things. Very creative work on the bed.

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    1. My Sunshine Family had a really Mötley array of furniture from various sources, to the point that they had vintage 1960s appliances at a time when the rest of the world had moved on to avocado green and harvest gold. I always sort of thought my black Sunshine Family (I had both... and the grandparents) might be less "back to the land" and more "fix up a brownstone in Harlem."

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  4. That bed is cool! The dishes look so mod and fancy now.

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    1. Thanks! Of course, now we've opened the floodgates that whenever I see cheap, damaged china, I know what to do with it...

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  5. Yay for Hayden and for Katie! A customized bed! Cool. The current sheets look spiffy to me. Animal print chic.

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    1. The animal print's kind of endearing, isn't it? It's always been slated for elsewhere in the house, though, and ended up on the bed only because it landed there in one of the floor collapses. I now have fabric to sew a reversible comforter with *gulp* much marking of seams.

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  6. Really, cool bed you have there! I want one like in on of my dollhouse offices for quick naps.
    The bed reminds me of a short friend of mine who bought a new bed and put one those deep mattress and box spring sets on it. She had to use doggie steps to get in her bed. The bed was gorgeous!LOL

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    1. Y'know, I actually looked to see if there existed Batbie dog steps, to save myself having to build, but apparently Barbie's dogs either are tall and fit or do not sleep in bed with her.

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  7. I like the bed. It looks great. I just made a bed for my Liv dolls. The mattress didn't come out right. I'll have to do it again. The baskets are a great idea. I hope I can find some. I had no idea how to get the paint off of the dishes. Thanks for the tip.

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    1. Thanks! And welcome! I am struggling with mattress construction but hope to get my second wind in February. Right now, it's just fabric wrapped around an old towel.

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